Madam Speaker, as I reply to the member I would point out that his question on June 10 related to the testing of plasma donors.
I would also point out to him that I think everyone in the House and across the country feels very badly when anyone who they know gets an illness through no fault of their own, whether that illness is cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis or diabetes.
It is important we all understand that when people across the country get sick, the values embodied in the Canada Health Act are that we offer those people care and access to treatment, which hopefully will give them a good health outcome. That is what the Canada Health Act is about.
I wanted to address the member's question on June 10 with regard to the hepatitis C testing of plasma donors between the period of 1990 to 1993. I wanted to point out to him that a critical distinction needs to be made at the outset of this issue and discussion. That is the distinction between the testing of blood donors who are donating blood which will be transferred directly into persons needing a blood transfusion as contrasted with the testing of donors of plasma which is then sent to a manufacturing operation to be fractionated into plasma derivatives such as coagulation factors, immune globulins and albumin.
In 1990 there was clear scientific evidence that testing of donors of fresh blood for transfusion—